By Goya Dmytryshchak
A run will be held around the former Williamstown Racecourse on Melbourne Cup eve, retracing the tracks of Phar Lap.
The Hobsons Bay Running Club, the members of which are affectionately known as Hobos, will host the annual Phar Lap 2 Mile Melbourne Cup Handicap at what is now the Altona Coastal Park.
Williamstown Racecourse operated from 1864 to 1940 before the federal government took over the land for army training in World War II.
Phar Lap won the Underwood Stakes there in 1931.
Williamstown Racing Club had planned to resume racing at the course in 1948, but in 1947 a suspicious fire destroyed much of the public and member stands and racing was never held there again, according to Williamstown historian Tom Ferris.
All that remains of the former racecourse is a concrete stairway that leads nowhere and foundations buried in undergrowth.
Running club committee member Aaron McAleese said the race was a way to connect with the history of the area.
“We run 3218.7 metres, which is the same as the original Melbourne Cup distance,” he said.
“Hobsons Bay, and particularly Williamstown and Altona, are very historic places, so it’s a real connection between contemporary life, which is running and activities and events, and embracing the history.
“Phar Lap is iconic, the Williamstown Racing Club is iconic – running it on the eve of the Melbourne Cup makes it part of that festival and it connects to the historic side of the Melbourne Cup.”
He said the fastest race time by a Hobo for the course was 11:03.4, set by Nathan Tumaru in 2016.
Phar Lap’s winning Melbourne Cup time in 1930 was 3:27.7.
The race on Monday, November 5, will start at 6.45pm with registration from 6.15pm at the carpark at Altona Road, north of the Pines Scout Camp (Melway ref 55-B9). Entry is free and open to all ages (children must be accompanied). The race will be followed by a barbecue open to all.
Details: hobos.org.au
